The discovery of a new “favourite place” is sometimes a very odd circumstance, and Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana is one of my odder stories. It will also be a favourite place for a long time to come.

I overheard a conversation in the office one day between one of my bosses and one of our district managers. The manager was raving about this restaurant and how great the food was and how fabulous a salesman the owner was. A little while later, my boss came down the hall, and I asked him what place the manager had been so excited about, as I am always interested in good food, especially if it is combined with good service.

So my boss began to tell me about this little authentic Mexican eatery that didn’t put cheese on its tacos, didn’t use sour cream, and didn’t buy its food from Sysco. I was intrigued. Even more so when my boss told me that the owner manned the cash register himself, and had a perfect sales spiel about the place, and offered very warm, personal service. When my boss went in and asked “What’s good?” the owner had asked him very specific questions to determine what menu item was most likely to suit him. And my boss had, indeed, enjoyed the meal.

My boss also told me the entire spiel that the owner had given, and said that the manager had told him that she got the same spiel when she went in and said it was her first visit. At that point, another of my bosses walked by and said, “Deli Mexicana? Yes, my family and I eat there all the time. The food is great!”

So, my interest piqued, I decided to try this place. I had a bit of trouble finding it, as it’s a much smaller place than I had expected, and its location, the northern endcap of a small strip center on Germantown Parkway, is not very visible from the street (especially at 45 mph).

I walked in for a late weekday lunch, about 13:45. There were several people at tables, but I was the only one in line. A nice young man greeted me and asked me if it were my first visit. I replied in the affirmative, and was treated to the exact spiel that my boss had recited to me. I ordered the brisket tacos, and asked the young man to tell me about the agua fresca. I ordered a mango agua fresca after he described this refreshing beverage in very attractive terms. When I said that I needed it to go, the young man said that was a pity, as it would be so much nicer if I could stay.

The food took a reasonable amount of time, and I was able to watch it being prepared through a glass partition. I sipped my mango drink while waiting, and found it quite refreshing. Not too sweet, and not too thick.

When I returned to my office and opened my takeout box, I found four doubled tortillas, each with a generous helping of Neola Farms beef brisket, a sprinkle of chopped cilantro, and a slice of avocado. On the side were a wedge of lime, a heap of very finely shredded lettuce, a mound of obviously homemade tortilla chips, an invitingly chunky guacamole, a bright pico de gallo, and a green sauce which I did not recognise — but which I promptly fell in love with.

I decided to try the place again, this time with my mother in tow. My mom was rather an odd choice for this place, as she doesn’t care for avocado or cilantro, but she was willing to give my newest enthusiasm a try.

This time, we went at the height of lunch rush on Saturday, about 12:30. The place was packed. It was so busy that Mom did not get treated to the regular spiel, but we still got very highly personalized service. Mom ordered the brisket tacos (sans cilantro and avocado) and a mango agua fresca, and I ordered the fish tacos and a tamarindo agua fresca. The food was just as good as it had been on my first visit. But I didn’t get any guacamole with my meal, which was a slight disappointment.

While waiting for our order, we had noticed several interesting-looking dishes being served around us. So when I decided that I was going to order a bit of guac to finish off my tortilla chips, mom asked me to get her an elote. I had also noticed a fried cheese on the menu, so I decided to try one of those. As there was no line, I asked the young man to tell me about the horchata. He said I would have to try it — and proceeded to run to the cooler and prepare me a generous sample. It was quite tasty and sweet, so I got one for dessert.

The elote was wonderful: a hot cob of sweet corn on a stick, slathered with cheese, pepper, and mayonnaise. It sounds very strange, but it was really delicious. Also a delightful surprise was the chicharrones de queso (the fried cheese). I had expected several pieces of breaded and deep fried cheese, so I was not expecting an enormous tube of crisp cheese — not breaded and deep fried, but toasted, like the cheese that oozes out of a generously made grilled cheese sandwich and bubbles on the grill.

In light of two profoundly excellent experiences, with truly superior food and outstanding customer service, I wholeheartedly recommend Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana.

I have to tell you about this site, because I LOOOOOOOOOOVE it. If you are a bibliophile, you need to use this site. If you have scads of books in your house and not even a clue of what they all are, you need this site. If you have duplicates of books because you forgot that you already have that and bought it again, you NEED this site.
Here’s my home page, and here’s my profile page. Basically, you enter your books. I really like the automatic feature where, if you enter the ISBN number, it finds the book for you on Amazon and imports all the pertinent information for you. But you can also search/add by title, author, LofC number, etc, or you can hand-enter the book. (Which I’ve got a lot to do, as I collect mostly books printed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. No ISBNs.)

It also has a blog widget so you can have a link with random books from your collection shown on your blog. See the lower right-hand column for my example.

You can write reviews of your own books, and you can sign up for their early-reviewer group. This group allows you to request review copies of not-yet-released books, so that you can write a review for the site. I’ve only just signed up for this part, so I can’t tell you how well it works … yet.

They have all kinds of forums … haven’t had time to explore those yet. They have other stuff too. I joined a long time ago and got busy and forgot it, and just remembered it the other day and started exploring/adding books again. I won’t be lapsing anytime soon again, though. In fact, I just bought a lifetime membership. If nothing else, it’s a great way to keep track of what books I have.

If you decide to try it out, let me know, and I will add you to my friends list. If you want an invite, let me know and I will send you one. I don’t get anything (that I know of) if you join on my recommendation, I’d just like to have at least ONE friend on the site, ya know?

I pre-ordered my HP7 on the day it was released for pre-sale. Since then, I have been counting down the days until I would know how what happened to Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the gang. So wouldn’t you know that on release day, when the book arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t stop to read it? Because I had to have my POD unloaded so that it could be picked up this morning. So I spent ALL DAY Saturday moving furniture and boxes, while my mind was being tugged at unmercifully by the red-and-white Amazon box.

Finally, at 11 p.m., more than 12 hours after my book was left on my doorstep by the UPS guy, I got to open the covers and start reading. I managed 350 pages before I couldn’t keep my eyes open any more and had to crash. It was 1:30 a.m. I was awake at 8 a.m. and immediately back in the book. I finished reading at 10:30 a.m.

I’m not going to spoil the ending for those who couldn’t spend the weekend reading or who who can’t read 759 pages in five hours. But I am going to share my impressions. I’ll go deeper into the story in a couple of weeks, when most people will have had their chance to find out what happens on their own.

The Deathly Hallows will surprise you — they aren’t what you think they are. The unexpected humour, which bears witness to the human ability to transcend mortal peril, will delight you. The deaths will make you cry — and in my opinion it was four very important characters who gave their all. Learning the truth about Snape, about Harry’s parents, about Dumbledore, and about Voldemort and his horcruxes was satisfying. The wrapping up of all of the loose ends was masterful. And the final ending of the book retains all of the hope and glory of the great masterpieces of fiction that deal with the eternal verities.

The book was spellbinding. I can’t wait to read it again.

Okay, so, since I am sick and kidless this weekend, I decided to rent some movies to keep me company. Thought I’d catch up on some of the newer movies I haven’t seen … people look at my funny when I don’t know the references they make to pop culture stuff. So one of the movies I rented was Napoleon Dynamite. I’m glad I only rented it. If I’d paid $10 to see this in the theatre, I’d have gone postal and shot someone.

I cannot believe that this tripe was a hit movie! This is the most boring, most stupid pile of rat droppings I have ever had the misfortune to sit through! There’s absolutely no plot, the characters are more boring than watching grass grow, and the humour is flatter than week-old soda.

Why did anyone waste their time and money making this thing? Can anyone explain the appeal of this utter nonsense?

Just got back from the theatre, where the children and I watched The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was fantastic. Spectacular. Wonderful. Marvellous. Enthralling.

Astonishingly true to the book, the movie begins in London during the Blitz. You see the Pevensies coming to the country to live in the Professor’s rambling old mansion. You feel the fear that the harsh old housekeeper instills in the children — especially in little Lucy. The screenplay adapters did a masterful job in keeping the story true to the book, and in handling the transitions where bits had to be omitted.

The special effects were quite realistic, which one would expect from Weta and ILM. For the most part, the costumes and set design were excellent, though the White Witch’s hair, makeup, and clothes were just bizarre. As for the casting, well, not since Daniel Radcliffe was cast as Harry Potter has there been such perfect matching of characters to actors. Liam Neeson is majestic — masterfully cast as the Great Lion, Aslan. William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley do a great job with the parts of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, and James McAvoy is brilliant as Mr. Tumnus, the Faun. Tilda Swinton is perfectly evil as Jadis, the White Witch.

My kids loved it and have already asked to see it again. Definitely a must-see for the whole family. There is no naughty language, and the battle scenes, though intense, are not gory. There is one big scare which made everyone in the theatre jump, so maybe this one is better for the five and up set.

One word of warning: Stay through the end credits, or you’ll miss a very important bit!

I discovered Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle at the age of 12. I fell in love with her, and I am now reading these stories to my 4- and 6- year-old sons.

There are four books in the series by Betty MacDonald: Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Hello Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Farm, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Magic.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a wonderful friend to children and parents. She knows just how children like to be treated, and she knows just how to treat the common childhood ailments — afflictions that turn good kids into Answer-Backers, Showoffs, Crybabies, Interrupters, Fraidy-Cats, or Slow-Eater-Tiny-Bite-Takers. She also knows how to deal with other problems, like kids who won’t pick up toys, don’t want to take baths, or won’t go to bed.

The cures for these problems are quirky, funny, and very appropriate. The Won’t Take a Bath cure, for instance, is completed when Patsy wakes up one morning to discover little radishes growing in the dirt on her arms!

Every kid should get to know Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, and every parent should become her friend. These are great read-aloud books, and I’ve found, since introducing my kids to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, that she’s an effective discipline tool. “What would Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle do to help you with this problem?” is now a favorite question at our house.

The Cat in the Hat and other Dr. Seuss (aka Theo LeSeig and Theodore Geisel) books are some of the best kids’ learning books available. The stories are short, simple, and easy to read. For pre-readers, they make great bedtime stories, with their bright, active pictures and beginning vocabulary. For beginning readers, they are a wonderful supplement to school-assigned reading, as the simple, repetitive vocabulary reinforces both phonics and word-recognition skills. The ease with which they can be read by beginning readers also helps children gain confidence in their ability to read.

Some Dr. Seuss titles that should be in every kid’s library:

• The Cat in the Hat
• The Cat in the Hat Comes Back
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish
• Green Eggs and Ham
• Hop on Pop
• Fox in Socks
• Oh Say Can You Say
• Ten Apples up on Top
• The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins
• Bartholomew and the Oobleck
• Yertle the Turtle
• The Lorax
• The Sneetches and other stories
• The King’s Stilts
• Horton Hears a Who
• Horton Hatches the Egg
• Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose
• Scrambled Eggs Super
• Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?
• There’s a Wocket in my Pocket

Another excellent early-reader author is P.D. Eastman, who wrote the following “don’t miss” books for youngsters:

• The Best Nest
• Are You My Mother?
• Flap Your Wings
• Sam and the Firefly
• Go Dog Go!

And three other books that I highly recommend, also for early readers, are

• A Fly Went By, by Mike McClintock
• A Fish Out of Water, by Helen Palmer
• The Diggingest Dog, by Al Perkins

This is one of the best books for kids on the planet. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster is graded for kids aged 9 to 12, but I have found that even 5 and 6 year olds can enjoy the story if it is read to them. The video is good enough to have made my kids beg me to read them the story.

Milo is a bored kid who suddenly finds a tollbooth in his room. When he takes the accompanying car for a ride, he finds himself in a new world. The story is like Alice in Wonderland meets your third-grade teacher. Milo has to save the land, which has fallen into confusion since the Princesses of Rhyme and Reason were banished, by rescuing the princesses from the Castle in the Air. On his way, he passes through Dictionopolis, Digitopolis, and the Doldrums, among other places. He fights numerous enemies of Rhyme and Reason.

I found the Doldrums fascinating as a child, and even more so as an adult, seeing as how I find myself getting stuck in them after a hard week at work. The means of escaping the Doldrums works even in the real world.

In any case, this is a fantastic book for kids and parents alike, and I highly recommend it.

Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by Richard and Florence Atwater, is one of the very best books I ever read as a child. Excellent for reading aloud, and written with just the right mix of easy and advanced vocabulary to challenge the intermediate reader. This is a Newbery Honor book.

The story is that of the Popper family. Mr. Popper paints houses, and, in his spare time, he reads about the South Pole. When a letter to Admiral Drake brings him a penguin, Mr. Popper’s adventures begin. Pretty soon, he’s trying to make ends meet and support twelve penguins. And that’s when things get pretty amusing.

Whatever you do, add this book to your kid’s shelf.

I came across Pegeen when I was 10 years old, and it was an intimidating book: 2 inches thick and larger than a typical hardback. (It was in very large type, with many pictures.) I was, and am, so glad that I was brave enough to read it. In my adulthood, I searched for it for years before I unexpectedly found it at a home-school conference … and I was delighted to find that Pegeen is actually the third book in a trilogy of stories about the O’Sullivan family of Bantry Bay, Glengarriff, County Cork, Ireland.

The three books in the trilogy are The Cottage at Bantry Bay, Francie on the Run, and Pegeen. The books are well-written and approachable stories, excellent for reading aloud to younger children, or good reading material for intermediate readers.

The Cottage at Bantry Bay introduces the O’Sullivans: Mother, Father, Michael (age 11), Brigid (age 9), and twins Liam and Francie (age 6). The O’Sullivans have the normal life of an Irish farm family, but they have unexpected adventures that will keep readers of all ages on tenterhooks. And the family has a deep need that only a miracle will solve …

Francie on the Run is all about Francie, whose clubfoot requires an operation. Francie is an active and uninhibited child, and when he finds the hospital boring, he runs away. In his travels back home, he meets Pegeen and her granny, who help him recuperate from the strain of abusing his not-quite-healed foot, and then arrange to return him to his very worried family. His adventures are rollicking good fun, and will enthrall even active boys.

Pegeen tells how Francie’s new friend loses her Grannie and come to live with the O’Sullivans. Pegeen has grown like a weed, with little guidance or discipline, and her attempts to fit into “civilised” life are sometimes sad, sometimes amusing, and sometimes scary.

In all, this series is a fantastic addition to your children’s library, and will be treasured throughout the generations as a good tale well told.